THE family of a Selby teenager who went missing for more than 36 hours spoke today of their "massive relief" when she was returned home by police.

Bill and Val Napper also revealed that their granddaughter, Kayleigh Wadsworth, 13, left the home they share, in St John's Mews, after being "grounded" for smoking.

Mrs Napper, 53, said: "There was no big argument. Both Kayleigh and her twin sister, Casey, had been caught smoking."

Just a few hours after being grounded on Monday evening, the Brayton College student disappeared, triggering a huge search by detectives and police dog handlers.

She was finally found by detectives at 11.30am yesterday, in Millgate, Selby, just a few hundred yards from her home.

The identical twin sisters have lived with their grandparents for eight years, and the thought of losing one of them was driving them to distraction.

As they waited desperately for news of Kayleigh, their could not get out of their minds the recent abduction cases involving Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman and Amanda "Milly" Dowler. Mrs Napper said: "That was the first thing that entered our heads. I tried not to think that way and remain positive but it wasn't easy.

"I was thinking what those kids' parents must have been going through. I now know they went to hell and back.

"Kayleigh apparently bumped into the police officers, in Millgate, and when they brought her home, I thought how lucky I was compared to the parents of poor Holly, Jessica and Milly." She said Kayleigh broke down in tears when she walked into the lounge and immediately made a bee-line for her grandad, Bill, 64.

Mrs Napper said: "She's a grandad's girl and gave him a big hug and kiss, before putting her arms around her dad Andrew Wadsworth.

"She then came over to me and just wouldn't let me go. It was very emotional and a massive relief. I would never want to go through that again.

"We never slept a wink after Kayleigh went missing. It was the longest 40 hours of our life - an absolute nightmare."

Mr and Mrs Napper said they planned to celebrate Kayleigh's homecoming by taking the sisters on a weekend break to get away from it all.

Updated: 14:45 Thursday, September 26, 2002